Governor Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats apparently believe there is no part of your home that government bureaucrats should not regulate, even your bathroom. Under regulations adopted during the Hochul administration, shower heads sold or installed in New York cannot use more than 1.8 gallons of water per minute. But Albany did not stop with your shower. The state also limits residential bathroom faucets to 1.2 gallons per minute, kitchen faucets to 1.8 gallons per minute, toilets to 1.28 gallons per flush and urinals to 0.125 gallons per flush.
The state even allows local governments to impose stricter restrictions. No, Albany is not standing outside your bathroom with a stopwatch. But state bureaucrats are deciding which fixtures you may legally purchase and install and the Department of Environmental Conservation is telling New Yorkers to take shorter showers.
This is another example of Albany’s obsession with controlling the everyday choices of New York families. Instead of repairing our aging water infrastructure, lowering utility bills and making New York more affordable, Democrats continue imposing one mandate after another. New Yorkers do not need Albany bureaucrats micromanaging their kitchens and bathrooms. We need common sense, personal freedom and a state government that understands its limits.
As your State Senator, I will fight unnecessary mandates and work to get Albany out of your home, out of your wallet and out of your shower.
BY ANTHONY MERANTE TEAM